Captain Cook did it

He crossed the ocean, wandered on the decks of the Endeavour, tossed and turned, ate his salted meats and wrote his journals and he did it over time and with great consideration of all that was around him. No ship lag for him. 

Nancy and I did it too - a little more speedily with some consequences. In Perth we had a 15 minute yoga and meditation time to set us in the mood and spirit for our crossing.(Wish I had taken a selfie of us both stretching) The crossing was done at 38000 ft with better food and some bubbly to help us along the way, navigation was a bit more precise, and entertainment such as dear Captain Cook could not ever imagine. 

Arriving so quickly though, on the other side, has stores of surprises, not least the chilly autumnal air and the notorious jet lag that awaits. Everyone has a theory about how to avoid it or diminish it. The day is busy seeing kids, family and friends and staying awake till the last possible moment and then oblivion. Sleep so deep and wholesome it is wonderful to fall into. And then the sudden though not unexpected consciousness, like the lapping of a wave over the shoreline, advancing and inevitable. Lying there with eyes firmly shut I attempt to exercise mindfulness and achieve this admirably but perhaps in its literal sense. Read Mind - Full.  Recipes are reworked, invitation lists drawn up, Xmas gift ideas crystallise and blogs take shape word after word in total darkness. Mindful though can also take another form and I take in the warmth of my hands on my stomach and the areas on my legs that I haven't moisturised as I should have. I have been offered sleeping pills and special draughts, all designed to counter the wakefulness but I have concluded that actually jet lag offers a "down under of sorts time" literally when you have no other obligation other than being in the moment and milking it for all that it is worth. So next time you are lying there, eyes shut and frustrated, put it all to good use and create away. This blog written at 3.49 am in my head is served fresh from another night of wakefulness. 

Jacaranda Time

ARTIST

It's Jacaranda time here in Brisbane. I decide to take Super Gran to the Queensland Gallery of Art to see some fabulous art work in the Australian Collection and the iconic painting of "Under the Jacaranda tree" painted in 1903 by R Godfrey Rivers.  

This painting shows a lovely scene in early 20th century  Brisbane of the painter's wife and some friends taking tea under the tree in full bloom in the city's Botanic Gardens.  We went to the art gallery in the pouring rain only to find that this painting was no longer on the wall. Maybe it was having a rest or has been sent to another gallery but I was upset  not to find it there as it is the quintessential painting to view in this season. Well I thought what is the next best thing? Recreate it on our own terms. 

We headed to New Farm Park which is next to the Brisbane River and we walked along the river and under the Jacarandas and admired the rose gardens. We then recreated "under the Jacaranda Tree 2018" with Super gran. 

Pretty as a Picture and much livelier too ! 

Every family needs one

Every family needs a Super Gran - a Queen Nancy - a Ma. At the age of 98 3/4 she has made the trip over to Australia, as she missed her two grandsons and was curious about their new lives here. 

She is frail but fiery, questioning and curious, warm and wonderful. I did not have the opportunity to meet my grandparents and so I never had the indulgence of grandparent - hood. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to polish the silver, get the canteen out, bring out the tea pots, the pearls and twin sets and make endless egg sandwiches, together with a small addition of Greek Tyropittes (as a memorial to my mother) and sit down to a wonderful high tea with friends who are dear to us and to her. There was one other exceptional grandma there, a much younger one sporting a shiny new red car which granny asked if she was allowed to drive not knowing it was actually her car! Nothing passes her by and she is fully engaged 24/7 and able to ask the most probing questions which we struggle to answer and head off to Wikipedia to find the answers. Wikipedia is one of the organisations I regularly send contributions to as they are invaluable as a resource. 

So we have had to answer questions about the colour of lorikeets and their mating habits, their social pairings and contrasts with pigeons, why Nasa chose a family man to place on the moon and whether Ivonne Goolagong helped her tribe. Her fan club is scattered round the world as she has visited us everywhere we have lived and has met many many friends who enjoyed her company.More scarily she remembers details about these friends that have long since left our memory banks.  We are kept on our toes and that can only be a good thing. Meanwhile she has brought relentless rain to Queensland and that in itself, like her, is a blessing.

The Remarkable Red Flowering Gum Tree.

We went out on a day trip recently and had a beautiful time visiting some falls and doing a hike there. But that is not the reason I am writing today. As I was driving I spotted the most unbelievable flaming red tree along the way. We followed our tracks back and I found it again because it seemed so spectacular to me so I stopped by the side of the road to take some photos for you all. Here it is - the red flowering gum tree.

Could it be more vibrant, more inviting, more warm ? 

Walk for Awareness

This morning at the crack of dawn, with the skies clearing after yesterday's rain, we headed to Kangaroo Point to participate in the Walk for Awareness, together with 2,5000 other Brisbanites. The tone uplifting, the welcome to country so informative, the didgeridoo playing just awe inspiring and the walk itself, 8 kms to honour 8 years since two friends of the organisers were lost to suicide. A gentle but heartening riverside amble with wholesome conversations among lovely like-minded women and at the end a hearty breakfast, just in case we lost a few calories heading round. 

The Mental Awareness Foundation organises this walk every year which is the biggest event in Australia and commands enormous respect. The event brings people together in a friendly environment to discuss issues of mental health, including thoughts of suicide and how to prevent it. It aims to support charities that are working directly with communities who are implementing strategies to raise awareness of depression and mental illness.Here are some of the lovely moments of the morning. 

Lucy Bolton this one is for you, as it is your commitment to Lifeline that spurred me on today wearing your beautiful earrings which will forever be connected with you and your wonderful work. 

The Glasshouse Mountains.

Yesterday was the Queen's Birthday in Queensland. She is a lucky lady. She could travel the world and be feted every day could she not? So to celebrate we headed to the hills and specifically to the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout - this was where Captain Cook in 1770 looked out onto the Queensland plain and saw these mountains popping up and thought, we are told, of his glass furnaces back in Yorkshire and he called them the Glasshouse Mountains. They are actually more accurately 

volcanic plugs which have come to the surface during the earth's movements some 27 million years ago and remained these remarkable shapes on the horizon. The Lookout gives you a panoramic view of them from Mt Beerwah, to Mt Coonowrin, then Mt Ngungun, followed by the Twins, Mt Tumbubudula- Mt Tibrogargan and finally Mt Beerburram. Each of a different height and significance because this is also sacred Aboriginal land. 

 We walked along the Lookout circuit and came across wild irises and native rosellas which gave colour to the eucalyptus scrub and fern forest.

We admired the mosaics of each mountain embedded in the path around the Lookout.

This time we admired them from afar. Next time it will be from the tops !